US, Taliban push for peace in day 2 of talks
Doha, Aug 4: The US and the Taliban were thrashing out elements of a deal to bring a close to Afghanistan’s 18-year conflict at the second day of renewed talks in Doha on Sunday. The US, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban in 2001, wants to withdraw thousands of troops and turn the page […]
Iran’s Zarif sanctioned after declining Trump meet: officials
Tehran, Aug 4: Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was hit with US sanctions after turning down an invitation to meet President Donald Trump, officials in the Islamic republic said on Sunday. The New Yorker magazine reported on Friday that Senator Rand Paul met Zarif in the US on July 15 and had Trump’s blessing […]
US welcomes conditional truce in Syria’s Idlib region
Sydney, Aug 4: The United States Sunday welcomed a ceasefire in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region after months of deadly government bombardments but insisted attacks against civilians must stop. Air strikes on Idlib province halted on Friday after the Syrian regime agreed to a truce on the condition that rebel backer Turkey implements a buffer zone […]
31 dead, 62 rescued after boats capsize in Philippines
Manila, Aug 4 (AP) Rescuers recovered more bodies in rough seas where three ferry boats capsized after being buffeted by fierce winds and waves off two central Philippine provinces, bringing the death toll to 31 with three missing, the coast guard said Sunday. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the dead were mostly passengers of […]
US wants to quickly deploy new missiles in Asia: Esper
Sydney, Aug 3 : Washington wants to quickly deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Asia, to counter the rise of China in the region, new US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday. “Yes I would like to,” Esper said when asked if the US was considering deploying new medium-range conventional weapons in Asia now Washington is […]
New round of US-Taliban talks opens in Doha: Taliban
Doha, Aug 3 : Talks between the US and the Taliban seeking to end nearly 18 years of war in Afghanistan resumed in Doha on Saturday, the Taliban said. “Today the talks began,” the insurgent group’s spokesman in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, told AFP. The US, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban in 2001, wants […]
Climate battle will ‘succeed or fail’ in Asia: UN
Tokyo, Aug 2 : The battle to combat climate change will “succeed or fail” based on what happens in Asia, where growing energy needs are increasing demand for fossil fuels, UN officials said Friday. The United Nations will host a key climate summit next month that has been billed as a last chance to prevent […]
Afghan official: Taliban strike police checkpoint, kill 10
Kabul, Aug 2 (AP) Afghan officials say the Taliban have targeted a police checkpoint in the central Day Kundi province, killing at least 10 policemen there. The provincial governor, Anwar Rahmati, also says that 15 policemen were wounded in Friday’s attack in the district of Patu. He says the insurgents also suffered casualties. However, provincial […]
Pompeo rips into China, urges ASEAN to trust in US
Bangkok, Aug 2 : America’s top diplomat Mike Pompeo on Friday implored Southeast Asian nations to trust in US values, delivering a withering takedown of Chinese-style development, comments Beijing later swatted away as “meaningless”. The secretary of state said decades of US alliances and investment had helped Asia walk from poverty to prosperity, as he […]
Syria at peace talks says ceasefire depends on Turkey
Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan), Aug 2 : Syria’s representative at peace talks in Kazakhstan on Friday said the success of a ceasefire in the northwestern region of Idlib would depend on Turkey disarming rebels of heavy weapons and implementing a buffer zone. Syrian negotiator Bashar Jaafari attacked the Turkish military presence in the northwest of the country […]
